Tel Aviv, Israel-based Kanabo Research presented the results of its pre-clinical trial, which the company says brings it a step closer to providing a safe remedy for insomnia and other sleep disorders, without the risk of dependency or the possibility of an overdose.

This in vivo study, evaluated the efficacy of varying compositions of active ingredients in cannabis to induce sleep, in comparison to Diazepam, the active ingredient in Valium.

Several formulations reached close to 100% of the efficacy of Diazepam, with one formulation in particular increasing sleep duration by 150%. Kanabo Research was able to prove synergy, with greater efficacy when all three cannabinoids and terpenes were present than when used singularly. When combined, even a small amount of each contributed to the efficacy of the formulation.

As a secondary finding, the study established the value of THC as an integral part of Kanabo Research’s formulations. Even in small doses, THC generates a synergistic effect with other cannabinoids and terpenes. This emphasizes and reiterates the value of the whole plant profile, especially when compared to isolates of cannabinoids. These are promising results for patients in light of the well documented much less severe side effects associated with low THC compositions in comparison to Diazepam.

These early findings are promising and will be applied to the next stage of research—clinical trials for human use. Kanabo Research is currently in the process of establishing the framework for such a study and aims to perform the trials and report on successful results by the end of the year.

Avihu Tamir, Kanabo Research’s founder and CEO, says in a release, “While we are only in the preliminary stages of our research, the results of our pre-clinical trials are extremely encouraging for millions of sleep disorder sufferers around the globe.

We are in the process of developing two product lines, one requiring a medical cannabis prescription, and the other, an over the counter product that does not contain THC. We have only scratched the surface of the full medicinal potential of cannabis and as Kanabo Research mines this valuable resource, we hope to provide safe alternatives to conventional medications for those suffering from a wide variety of conditions.”